The Ficlet in the Drabbles
by Kae Kae
Summary: 10 songs, 9 drabbles and 1 ficlet that kept on going after 100 words. Written for a friend. Features all characters except most of the interns .


**Genie in a Bottle – Christina Aguilera**

"Is that a finger?"

Brennan placed the small bottle on the exam table. "Yes, although the distal phalange is missing."

Angela's face contorted into a grimace. "So you found a severed finger in a bottle, floating in a pool. Ew. I hope the person wasn't still alive when that happened."

"He probably was," Booth chimed in, swiping his card and climbing the stairs. "This was intentional, probably a warning for someone."

Angela's frown deepened. "Well, I may be good, but I need more than a fingertip to be able to compose a sketch."

"I said that was missing," Brennan corrected.

o o o

**Hush, Hush, Hush – Paula Cole**

Of course Joy – _Temperance now, Temperance_ – chose tonight to be fussy. He started teaching at the high school in the morning.

Max (he could still think of himself that way, at least in his own head) sat on the bed and looked at the scrunched face in front of him. "Tempy, it's past midnight. You need to go to sleep."

She shook her head, hair flying in both directions. "Read," she countered. "One more."

Sighing and making himself comfortable, Max opened the book. "One more, and then sleep." Temperance curled into his side, following along as Max started to read.

o o o

**Save Tonight – Rockapella**

Booth opened his door, surprised and groggy. "Bones? It's almost midnight."

Brennan stood there uncomfortably, a bag in her hands. "I know. But I knew that you were upset, and even though I know that our partnership has inevitably changed, I figured you might need someone here. As a friend. To comfort you. After a bad day."

Booth smiled. "You're rambling, Bones. I'm not going to say no to food."

A couple hours later Brennan had fallen asleep on his couch, and Booth felt worse than before. These late-night visits made him long for something she wasn't willing to give.

o o o

**Welcome to Paradise – Green Day**

"Your room"

The room was tiny, but Temperance had learned at her last foster home that it wasn't a good idea to criticize. "Thank you," was all she said as she placed her single bag on the newly made bed.

"Dinner's in an hour. That should give you enough time to unpack your things and get settled, right?" Her new foster mother left without waiting for an answer.

Sitting on the bed, Temperance stared at a long crack up the wall. The top curved, reminding her of a jumping dolphin. She closed her eyes and willed herself not to cry.

o o o

**Driving Sideways – Aimee Mann**

Replaying their conversation in his head, Hodgins opened his most expensive bottle of scotch. It really was over. An argument, one argument, was all it took to finish them off. She said he didn't trust her; that cut deep.

And that left him in his big freaking house all by himself. He couldn't even go pester Zach, since Zach decided being an apprentice to a crazy cannibalistic psycho was a great idea and now lived in a padded room.

Hodgins downed his glass as if it were a shot. He really knew how to pick people to love, didn't he?

o o o

**Heaven is a Place on Earth – Belinda Carlisle**

Seely stretched his legs, enjoying the feeling of the sun. "This could be our own little slice of heaven. Sand, sea, sun-"

"Metaphorically speaking. In actuality we're on a beach." Temperance looked up from what she was reading to stare at him.

"Well, obviously." Seely lifted his sunglasses to squint at her. "But it _feels_ like heaven."

"I don't believe in heaven. And how would you know how it feels?"

He moved slowly, deliberately, from his towel to hers, leaning over her. "I just do."

"That's not an answer," she whispered against his lips.

"Well, then let me show you."

o o o

**Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol**

Sometimes, Seely took cases too seriously. Camille knew it was what made him good at his job, but it also took its toll on him. He looked exhausted listening to Hodgins, nodding as if he really understood the significance of beetles.

Camille grabbed him by the arm, pulling him off the platform and toward the door. "You're going to go eat, and then you're going to go sleep for at least six hours, preferably more. And it's not up for argument. The evidence will still be here in the morning."

He blinked at her a moment, then nodded. "Thanks Cam."

o o o

**Night Vision – Electric Six**

Dr. Sweets watched Booth question the witness, growing more and more frustrated. "Booth, he honestly believes he's been possessed by some dark force. He's not putting on an act," he offered. Booth stared through the one-way mirror, clearly annoyed with Sweets' input but mulling it over before his next question.

"That's ridiculous," Brennan commented. "Of course he was responsible for his own actions. The idea that one is possessed by an evil spirit stems from-"

"But it's real for him. In his own mind, he isn't himself."

Brennan crossed her arms. "This is why I don't like psychology. Or religion."

o o o

**Totally Fucked – Spring Awakening**

Angela stared, dumbfounded. The little blue plus sign stared back.

She wanted children, sure, just not right now. And not with Wendell – he was a nice guy, but not who she imagined she would settle down-

Settle down. Angela sighed at her own train of thought. _If_ she was going to settle down. Once upon a time … were these the hormones already? How early did _that_ start?

Tossing the test in the garbage, Angela pulled herself together. She could handle being a single mother. And the baby would be beautiful, she knew that much. It would be ok.

Probably.

* * *

**Bonus Ficlet:**

**Leave Out All the Rest – Linkin Park**

Zach appreciated the routine that the institution gave him. It wasn't the same routine he created for himself when he had control over his own hours, but it was structure all the same. He woke up at the same time each morning, showered quickly, and ate breakfast by himself. After his morning appointments with the physician for his hands and the psychiatrist for his mind, he was allowed to read in the library, which was his favorite part of the day.

The most important part of his day came at 2:00. At 2:00 he was allowed to use the computer for one hour to write, since his fine motor skills were severely damaged in the explosion in the Jeffersonian lab. He typed a letter to his mother first, every day, and then he would spend the rest of his time working on his… Zach wasn't sure what he should call the document.

He had no plans to publish it, so a book or memoir wasn't accurate. Actually, he wasn't sure what he planned to do with it once he finished, or if anyone besides himself would ultimately read it. It wasn't an apology either, not really. The words "I apologize" or "I'm sorry for the atrocities I have committed" appeared nowhere, although Zach surmised he could add them in there and it could still be theoretically objective. It was simply a Word document in which he tried to explain the logic behind his actions. Logic which he (now) realized was flawed, but seemed clear at the time.

Long, detailed paragraphs had been typed, deleted, then retyped as Zach worked through his thoughts. Logic was supposed to be straight forward and infallible. Given his current situation, Zach questioned his own preconceived notions about his logical reasoning. Logic had failed him, and that realization hurt more deeply than the horror in Agent Booth's face or the disappointment in Dr. Brennan's.

Zach knew that before he died he had to find an acceptable explanation for it. Even if he only had less than an hour to work through it, every day, typing with fingers that moved slowly and stiffly. He wouldn't rest until he was satisfied, if that goal was even attainable.


End file.
